This Dukes of Hazzard Jump Re-Creation Was Historically Accurate, Right Down to the Crash Landing [Video]

Bob Sorokanich

Mar 1, 2017

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Fans of the 1969 Dodge Charger, you may want to avert your eyes.

To kick off the 2017 Detroit Autorama hot-rod show, stunt driver Raymond Kohn set up a Dukes of Hazzard tribute event outside Cobo Center. This wasn’t some low-key meet-and-greet; nor was it the staid unveiling of a perfect restoration of an original car from the beloved TV show.

No, this was a jump.

Kohn, an auto-repair shop owner from northeast Ohio, put together this jump-ready Charger from a wrecked, unrestorable shell in just one week. While it may look like a convincing replica as it’s flying through the air, it’s not—the grille and rear taillight panel are painted fiberglass stand-ins, as is most of the rear bodywork. The “chrome” window trim is aluminum tape, and as the car soars through the air you can appreciate the warped and crumpled bodywork underneath that safety orange paint.

The 39-year-old mechanic turned stunt driver may seem brave—hitting a five-foot ramp at 55 mph, arcing three stories in the air for a travel of 134 feet, surely seems like it takes a lot of guts. But as Kohn told the Detroit Free Press: “A lot of people say, ‘You must be pretty brave to do that. How do you do that?’ But, I tell people, I’m not brave. I do it because I’m scared. The fear is overwhelming. I can’t even feel my face because of the numbness.”

Here’s what the stunt looked like:

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To you and me, that landing looks pretty rough, what with the nose augured into the pavement rendering the car undrivable. Not so, said Kohn.

“The car flew just the way we intended,” he told The Detroit Free Press. “When it comes down on the nose, that’s what we’re looking for. The car tips up like a beer can. It takes up the energy when it hits. If it lands on all four wheels, that’s when you feel the most pain.”

And, perhaps unintentionally, it’s a fitting tribute to the original TV show. Historians estimate that in seven seasons the producers went through more than 300 Dodge Chargers, most of which ended up mangled from jumps and stunts. Indeed, in a few choice episodes, you can see just how badly the cars are smashed on landing. Having a big, heavy engine up front meant the cars always came down hard on the nose, and Kohn’s jump was no different.

For a guy who just bonked down pretty violently, Kohn gives a great post-jump interview to local news outlet MLive:

Here’s another angle, just for fun. Them Duke boys sure know how to party.